Cap



y 1967 A. R. RAUSING ETAL 3,317,070

CAP

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1966 y 1967 A. R. RAUSING ETAL 3,317,070

CAI"

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1966 United States Patent 3,630/ 65 Claims. (Cl. 215-47) The present invention relates to a cap having a tubular plug portion and a lid portion provided with a pulling handle,.the lid portion having a greater diameter than the outer diameter of the tubular plug portion and being intended to be separated from the said tubular plug portion when opening that container for which the cap is intended.

The cap is according to the invention preferably made of a plastic material. Such materials, however, are normally rather tough and it has therefor constituted a problem to tear-open a closure means of the above kind. Especially, a relatively great force is required at the initial stage of the opening procedure. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cap construction, which is of such a character that the opening of the container is substantially facilitated. This is according to the invention accomplished by a tear-up indication in the shape of an annular recess in the tubular plug portion; and by at least one slot or other weakening in the peripheral portion of the lid extending substantially from a point of the periphery of the lid adjacent the pulling handle towards the said tear-up indication.

An embodiment of the invention will now be explained more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows part of a closing device as seen from above, including the cap according to the chosen embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section II--II of the same closing device; and

FIG. 3 shows part of the closing device as seen above including a cap according to another embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 2 a portion of the container has been designated 1. The container has an inwardly turned lip 6, in the region of the container opening. The cap consists of a tubular plug portion 5 inserted into the container opening, a lid having a central portion 3' and a peripheral portion 3", and a pulling handle 4 connected to the said lid portion. The tubular plug portion further has a flange 8 with a bevelled surface 9 and an upper surface 23 against which a sharp edge 7 of the lip will sealingly engage. In order to make the tightness of the closure means more effective the tubular plug portion is further provided with an annular sealing ring 30 having a triangular cross-section engaging a sealing surface 20 of the lip 6. A second flange 10 further ensures that the tubular plug portion 5 will not drop into the container when the lid has been torn away. The shoulder 13 of the container engages the periphery portion 3" of the lid.

The tubular plug portion is further provided with an upper, annular recess 11 adjacent the periphery lid portion 3" extending beyond the bottom surface of the recess between the flanges 10 and 8. The recess 11 defines a tear-up indication, the connection 12 between the lid and the tubular plug portion being intended to be broken when the lid is to be removed in order to open the container.

In the outer portion 3" of the lid, from a point 31 adjacent the pulling handle 4, there is provided a slot 32 breaking through the lid, said slot extending towards the central portion of the lid up to a point 33 situated adjaice cent the bottom 38 of the tear-up indication 11. As will be seen from FIG. 1, a portion of the flange 10 is visible through the slot. If considered advantageous, the slot 32 completely breaking through the material may naturally be replaced by a weakening in the shape of a notch which penetrates only to a certain depth into the material. This might be of importance as hereby the space defined by the lip 6, the lid portion 3" and the tubular plug portion 5 is protected from being contaminated.

Furthermore, the lid has been provided with still another weakening in the shape of a notch 34 in that surface of the central portion 3 thereof turned towards the container interior. Alternatively, it may instead be provided in the upper surface of the lid. The notch 34 forms a short sector of a circle and runs in parallel with the tearup indication 11 adjacent the connection 12 between the lid and the tubular plug portion 5, which will be seen quite clearly from FIGS. 1 and 2. The notch 34 which penetrates to a certain depth into the lid has been marked by dashed lines so as clearly to indicate its situation in relation to the notch 32.

Normally the initial phase of the tearing of a material is the most difficult part to carry out. According to the invention, this initial phase is substantially facilitated by a concentration of strain arising in the part of the junction 12 which has been designated by 36 in FIG. 1 at the pulling of the handle 4 in the upward direction. If, on the other hand, no slot or weakening 32 is provided, the tensions are distributed across a larger region, whereby the force necessary for rupture is increased. Thanks to the notch 34 the strain is still more concentrated. The continued removal of the lid from the rest of the cap, after obtaining a tear-up introduction in the region 36 according to the invention, is carried out easily along the tear-up indication 11 and should not require any explanation in detail.

It has, however, shown that in certain cases the person who is opening the container turns the pulling handle 4 excessively in a right hand direction (in FIG. 1 downwards). This may cause a removing of only the peripheral lid portion 3 from the rest of the cap, which is not desired. In order to prevent this FIG. 3 shows another, improved embodiment of the invention. According to this embodiment there are provided two grooveshaped weakenings 32a and 32b instead of, according to the previous embodiment, only one weakening 32. Further the grooves 32a and 32b extend in the direction of the pulling handle elongation and not radially as according to the previous embodiment. The notch 34a in the inner surface of the central lid portion 3' has further been somewhat extended as is apparent from the figure. In FIG. 3 also the bottom 38 of the tear-up recess 11 as well as the inner surface of the joint 12 have been indicated by dashed lines.

The grooves 32a and 32b extend from points 31a and 31b respectively towards their terminal points 33a and 33b respectively adjacent the joint 12.

The grooves 32a and 32b have in their bottoms a thin layer, which protects impurities from getting entrance to the closed space adjacent the rupture portion 12.

When pulling the handle 4 upwards and inwards over the central portion 3' of the lid the strain forces are concentrated in the point 40 of the joint portion .12. The rupture of the joint 12 will be initiated in the point 40 and is thereupon symmetrically con-tinned along the joint 12 in both directions from the point 40. Thanks to this improved embodiment the lid portion will effectively be removed from the tubuler plug portion, the risk from removing only the peripheral lid portion has proved to be eliminated. I

We claim:

1. A cap having a tubular plug portion and a lid por- 0 tion provided with a pulling handle, the lid portion having a greater diameter than the outer diameter of the tubular plug portion and being intended to be separated from the said tubular plug t portion when opening that container for which the cap is intended, characterized by a tearup indication in the shape of an annular recess (11) in the tubular plug portion; and by at least one weakening line (-32) in the peripheral portion (3") of the lid extend ing substantially from a point (31) of the periphery of the lid adjacent the pulling handle (4) towards the joint (12) between the lid portion and the tubular plug portion.

2. A cap according to claim 1 characterized by two weakening lines (32a, 32b) in the peripheral lid portion, the weakening lines extending from each one of the innermost points (31a, 31b) of the pulling handle in the region of the periphery of the lid towards the said joint (12).

3. A cap according to claim 1 characterized by a notch (34) in the inner surface of the central portion of the lid (3'), the notch being adjacent to the joint (I12) be- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,142,404 7/1964 Krieps et a1. 215-46 3,251,499 5/1966 Rausing et a1. 2 1547 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CAP HAVING A TUBULAR PLUG PORTION AND A LID PORTION PROVIDED WITH A PULLING HANDLE, THE LID PORTION HAVING A GREATER DIAMETER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE TUBULAR PLUG PORTION AND BEING INTENDED TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE SAID TUBULAR PLUG PORTION WHEN OPENING THAT CONTAINER FOR WHICH THE CAP IS INTENDED, CHARACTERIZED BY A TEARUP INDICATION IN THE SHAPE OF AN ANNULAR RECESS (11) IN THE TUBULAR PLUG PORTION; AND BY AT LEAST ONE WEAKENING LINE (32) IN THE PERIPHERAL PORTION (3") OF THE LID EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM A POINT (31) OF THE PERIPHERY OF THE LID ADJACENT THE PULLING HANDLE (4) TOWARDS THE JOINT (12) BETWEEN THE LID PORTION AND THE TUBULAR PLUG PORTION. 